KORB: USI men's basketball team falls into same old, same old

Only five games left for Eagles to regain momentum

Those four words, or something similar, must be going through the minds of the University of Southern Indiana men's basketball players.

Here we go again.

Those four words, or something similar, must have been running through their heads starting at about the 7-minute mark of the second half against the University of Indianapolis on Saturday, when USI began blowing an 11-point lead.

Here we go again.

Those four words, or something similar, have to be churning up the brain cells of USI coach Rodney Watson and his assistants as they try to figure out how to reboot the season.

No, it's not close to being over. As of now, the eighth-ranked Screaming Eagles, at 17-4 overall, 9-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, are still solidly in the mix for a high seed in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional. They're tied for third in the GLVC East, with Northern Kentucky and Indianapolis. They trail second-place Kentucky Wesleyan and first-place Bellarmine, with USI set to play them again later this month.

If the season ended now, USI would be the No. 5 seed in the GLVC Tournament and would host a first-round game against Drury. Meanwhile, Bellarmine, KWC, UIndy and Missouri-St. Louis would receive first-round byes.

Another thing to consider: USI (and UIndy and NKU) is just a game ahead of Illinois-Springfield and Quincy.

The biggest problem for the Eagles is the time of year.

"It's February," said Watson after Saturday's 65-59 loss at Indianapolis.

He means it's late in the season — there are only five regular-season games remaining — to have to address problems like a defense that held a UIndy team to 20 percent shooting in the first half, then allowed it to shoot 72 percent in the second half.

But this or something similar has been happening to USI for quite awhile. "Here we go again" has been a regular refrain for the Eagles for far too many games this season.

It happened in the victory over Saint Joseph's last Thursday, when USI built a 22-point lead, then almost lost it. It happened in the home losses to Missouri S&T and Indianapolis, when the Eagles stopped attacking the basket and started throwing up and missing 3-point shots.

It even happened in what may be the greatest comeback in USI history, when the Eagles fell 19 points behind and then rallied from 12 points down in the final 3:35 to beat Northern Kentucky.

"From here on out, no more losses," said senior Brandon Hogg after Saturday's UIndy loss. "We've got to have that mindset. We've got to put together 40-minute games.

"We've got to regroup, then go on to the next game."

Remember, there are only five "next games" remaining in the regular season. If USI wins out, it not only will have improved its seeding position immensely, it will have recovered the momentum it lost over the past couple of weeks.

If the Eagles don't let's just say they can't afford any more "here we go agains."

n USI's women's team finds itself in a much more precarious position: in danger of not making the GLVC Tournament for the first time since 2009.

The Eagles, at 1-12 in the conference, are two games out of a berth in the 12-team tourney with only five to play. If they finish with just one league victory, that will be their worst GLVC record since going 1-17 during the 1990-91 season.